Blood.

That is the first thing I smell, before I am even close enough to our village to see it. It's copper, and iron, and just so strong.

Then I see it.

Blood on the walls of our houses, blood on the floors.

Dead bodies have been strewn everywhere, carelessly. I can't bear look, I can't see the dead bodies of my clan one on top of the other in their houses, in the streets. I have only one destination in mind, and just one word.

Sasuke.

I have to get there, I have to see him, I have to hold him and know that he is okay. He has to be okay.

But there's a half of me telling me to run the other way, too scared of what I might find, what if he's-

No. He will not, cannot, be dead.

And there's our house, not far now, I push my legs harder, as hard as they can go, they're burning, but I reach our door before they can give out.

My feet stop, I don't want to look.

The door is already ajar, I force myself to push it and the creak is the only sound to crack the eerie silence.

I walk through the halls, glancing in the rooms as I pass, they're all empty.

And then I hear it. Sasuke's blood-curdling scream and I'm off like a shot.

I find my way in my parents' bedroom, and the scene I see before me will forever haunt me.

My parent's, they're… they're dead.

I can't comprehend it. They can't be. This is impossible. How? Who? Why?

They could have just been sleeping.

Why couldn't they have just been sleeping?

Because they're bodies have fallen one top of the other in a lifeless slumber rather than the warm embrace of being alive. Because there is a dark red crimson surrounding them on the floor. Because their skin is white and grey.

And Sasuke is knelt on the floor not one foot from where I stand stock still.

He whimpers and that is enough to knock me out of my frigidly frightened state.

I am kneeling beside him in an instant, my arms wrap around him out of their own instinct, I pull him toward my chest. And, it seems, that is enough to knock him out of his state of horror too, and he begins mumbling one word. And that one word will be what throws me over the edge.

"Itachi… Itachi… Itachi…"

I feel his tears soaking my clothes, and my eyes feel too dry.

I must be in shock.

And then I see a pair of red, sharingan eyes, and I feel my whole world crumble. I suddenly feel everything Itachi feels, but this was usual for me, for our telepathic connection. This time was different.

Distant; cold; detached.

Before I can figure out why he could possibly feel this way, there is a shooting pain stabbing my skull, it's white hot pain, I gasp and grab my head. Oh, god, the pain, it's too much. Wh-What the hell is this?

My eyes are wider than I've ever felt them, my finger nails are digging into my scalp, and then my fingertips are wet. I've drawn blood. More blood shed.

"Nee-chan! Nee-chan! What's happening?"

I hear my little brother's voice, but I can't answer, can't open my mouth for fear of letting out the blood-curdling scream that wants to break loose, I clench my jaw tight, and I feel my teeth grinding painfully, but all my focus is on the unbearable agony in my skull. But I can't let anything out, or I'll scare Sasuke. I can't do more damage to him than what's been done.

I begin groaning, it's too much. Just too much!

It's getting worse and worse. How is that even possible? My whole body is rigid, goose bumps are rising over every surface of skin, my muscles are contracting, not knowing how to react to my skull ripping itself apart from the inside out. Sasuke's voice has faded to nothing. The one thing I was using to stable myself.

And then I hear it, the loudest, most crazed screeching, and then I feel my throat burning, and before I even realise that chilling noise came from me, my world goes black.

So there it is. I've been writing a lot of angst lately, I'll hopefully write something more fun and happy soon though lol there will be another chapter for this, the aftermath of the Uchiha clan's slaughter, save for Hikari and Sasuke. I think I have a story on here with Hikari in, but if not I'll post the ones I've got on my laptop ;) Please review! I do accept con-crit :)